The Mind-Blowing Hack That Tells You If You Should Cut Your Hair

Whether you’re feeling in need of a hair makeover, or just saw a picture of Katie Holmes’ new do and got a case of the gimmies, getting a short crop or pixie cut is one of those things that’s exhilarating to even think about.

You hold your ponytail up or cram your locks under a cap, moon over pictures of Michelle Williams, and starting asking friends, “Do you think I’d look good with short hair?”

Problem is, our friends aren’t always the perfect source for this particular question. They might say, “Yes, you’d look great with a crop!” because they don’t want to hurt your feelings, or maybe they think you mean “shorter than usual, but long enough to play with” when you’re really thinking more “Agyness Deyn buzz cut.” If your friends say, “No, you’d look terrible,” you’re going to wonder if this is more of a frenemy speaking, or someone who just doesn’t “get” short hair. What do they know?

At last, there is a magic number that will actually tell you if you’d look good with short hair! Created by world-famous hair guru John Frieda, it’s known as The 2.25-inch (5.5cm) rule.

“John studied faces and saw that the angle of the jaw bone determined whether or not someone would look best with short hair or long hair,” says Giles Robinson, Senior Stylist at John Frieda Salons UK and International Training Director of Color Wow. Using that observation and some pretty awesome math skills, Frieda conceived of a measurement that you can use to figure out if you’re better suited to short hair or long.

“It’s all about angles,” explains Robinson.

So, grab a pencil and a ruler and let’s do this! Hold the ruler under your ear, vertically. Then put the pencil beneath your chin, horizontally and note the measurement where the two meet. If the number is greater than 2.25”, this indicates long hair is a more flattering choice. If it’s less than 2.25”, you’ve got the green light to go as short as you want!

So, what are you thinking — a pretty lob, or perfect pixie?

Images via shutterstock.com and giphy.com.

Comment: Did you try this? What was your result?

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